Deb, Your machine is a beauty! And you got it at a steal!
To get the plates to slide try letting sewing machine oil seep to grooves of plate, or better yet, Tri-Flo. It may take some days for stuff to loosen up.
Here is a link to the Davis VF info:
http://www.kelsew.info/Domestic/DavisVFmodels.html
Interesting where the bobbin winder is located.
Enjoy!